A few minutes before:
Yan Yuiling couldn't quite focus on her work. Ever since losing her company, she had buried herself in work without much rest. She and her parents had lost all contact in recent days, as they blamed her for not getting together with Ding Feng and said that she should try to apologize and reconcile.
At the same time, ever since Xiao Lao and Xiao Li appeared, and especially after Xiao Lao made Yi her master, her thoughts had been spiraling.
Partly due to the improper combination of Master and Yi making it so she thought about her dark days of video gaming, but something more she needed to at least ask.
"Yi, can you come?" She called him on his phone, and he was there shortly after.
"What is it, Yan Yuiling?" Yi asked, surprised. He thought that during the time of founding the company, she wanted to be left alone, as she had shut herself off recently.
"I've been thinking for some time, and I would really like to experience these powers for myself. I want to learn cultivation as well."
"Ok," Yi just answered, not really sure why she would ask him. "Can't you just go to the training center and let Xiao Li teach you?"
"No, you don't understand. I want to learn cultivation from you," Yan Yuiling said with a serious expression while staring into Yi's eyes, who still seemed slightly confused.
"Well, I mean if you would help me. I know this is like a big deal within your world, so if you have no time, it's not that important," she backed out with slightly rosy cheeks.
"I will teach you," Yi said. "If you want me to teach you cultivation, I will. Why would there be a problem?" He questioned, still clueless about why this was such a big deal.
He himself thought that Xiao Li had more experience in teaching cultivation, so that would probably be more beneficial for her.
But Yi's answer broke some kind of dam within Yan Yuiling. She took a few deep breaths before speaking.
"Yi, I am really thankful for everything you have done and are doing now," she said while trying to keep her composure.
"I might try to hide it, but the last week was truly hard for me, but you and only you helped me through this time," her eyes became filled with tears.
"I know, without you, I would probably be crying every day on my own without any positive perspectives in life, and that would be the best-case scenario after everything Ding Feng tried to do to me," she tried to wish the tears away, but they kept coming.
"No one, not even my family or any friend I ever had, ever did so much for me, and you did it all of this in such a short time and even continue to help me," she trailed off in a crying voice and eventually only cried.
Meanwhile, Yi was just watching her intently, but something stirred within his heart. Something that never existed during his time in his old world.
He thought about the words Yan Yuiling said, and she was right. Why am I helping her out without question? He was not sure, but something he learned ever since he was young was always do what makes you feel good. Helping out Yan Yuiling felt good; he just wasn't sure why.
In the end he gave her a hug and let her cry; he wasn't quite sure why he was doing that, but it felt right.
Shortly afterwards Yan Yuiling was calm again and somewhat embarressed by her behavior, so she tried to switch up the conversation.
"So now that you teach me these powers, cultivation, right? Will I have to call you master too?"
"No, you can just call me what you want," he said, continuing his naming agenda.
"That was something else I wanted to tell you too." Yan Yuiling looked at Yi with a critical look.
"Please don't use Yi as a name anymore," she started. "And that's not because every time Xiao Lao calls you "Master Yi," I get flashbacks of pentakills. The real reason is that you should decide your own name."
"But Yi already was decided by me," Yi said, not convinced that his name was important.
"That's not what I'm talking about. You just changed the first letter of the name someone you hate gave you before. And before that your name was literally "Mountain Lord." You let others decide who you are, what your identity is, down to the name itself. You don't need to do it, but wouldn't it be better for you to decide who you are instead of others dictating it to you?"
Yan Yuiling had a point, Yi realized. His name, part of his identity. Why didn't he have a real one but instead just given names? But thinking of one for myself? That sounds way too hard. This naming problem mostly originated from talking to the few people he saved back in the day.
He wouldn't know how to answer if asked for his name, and the people would often describe him as a hero or savior and give him corresponding nicknames. These names felt good, so he took them as his name. But Li? What about Li feeling good?
"I will think about it," Yi answered as suddenly his phone rang.
Yi took the call a few seconds later, after seeing that Yan Yuiling heard his phone and didn't talk.
"Hello?"
"I am Sir Yi. I'm at the address you sent, and there is a weird old man inside the gym. He wants to take my mind, body, and soul!" Li Yi said.
"Oh, you are in the right room. But don't worry, he likes to exaggerate a bit. Just promise him that you won't share any information you learn with others, and then he will draft a soul contract, and you will be fine," Yi said.
"A soul contract?"
"Yes, it will basically destroy your soul and kill you if you share any information about the things you learn with outsiders; it's pretty common where I come from," Yi said casually.
"Isn't this illegal?!" Li Yi screamed.